An armed volunteer posse set up by Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu to scan the desert for violent drug smugglers is running into serious bureaucratic opposition that might thwart the controversial operation.

A Pentagon agency that oversees surplus military goods has ordered the Pinal County Sheriff's Office to retrieve hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise it had requisitioned and then "loaned" to non-police organizations in violation of the program's rules.

Arizona law enforcement agencies and federal agents dismantled what is believed to be a major smuggling ring for the Sinaloa Cartel, seizing $1.5 million in narcotics, collecting 19 weapons, and arresting an illegal immigrant who had been deported two weeks earlier.

As a retired law enforcement officer, I can vouch for three fundamental training drills that will improve your firearms proficiency—dry firing, the ball-and-dummy technique, and the ready up drill. Let's review these three in more detail.

A task force in southern Arizona seized 4,369 pounds of marijuana, 40 undocumented aliens, four vehicles, and three weapons during an operation that involved multiple agencies, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office announced.

In the fall, Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff's deputies will be outfitted with hand-held devices that enable deputies to scan a subject's face and iris to find potential matches with people in criminal databases.

The office launched an Internal Affairs investigation into the incident on Dec. 1, which led to the termination. Babeu cited 10 violations by Puroll, including competency, truthfulness, an abusive attitude and conduct that brings discredit to the county. Puroll is appealing the decision.

A Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff's deputy working as a detention officer is now under investigation for using a "short burst of pepper spray" on an ICE detainee after he defecated on the floor of a holding area and did not respond to officers' commands Dec. 11.

The sheriff released a portion of "law enforcement sensitive" information after a news media contacted the office "in an effort to inform the public about the dangers associated with the drug cartels operating in Pinal County."

Earlier this year, a regional SWAT team led by deputies with the Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff's Office took POLICE Magazine into the Vekol Valley in the Arizona desert to show one way smugglers bring narcotics across the U.S.-Mexico border. Smugglers often use illegal immigrants as drug mules to carry 25-pound marijuana bundles using makeshift "backpacks" of rope and cut strips of Mexican blankets to lessen discomfort. Listen to our podcast, "Tracking Smugglers in Southern Arizona," with Pinal County Sheriff's Sgt. Matt Thomas. Photos by Paul Clinton.

The Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff's Office has reopened its internal investigation into the April 30 shooting of Deputy Louie Puroll, after two nationally recognized forensic experts questioned the deputy's account.

The Pinal County Sheriff's Office is asking now because "dangerous incidents have increased through the past few years and are now escalating to a point where deputies are involved in high-speed vehicle pursuits, shootouts between deputies and smugglers, incidents of ambush, as well as the deputy who was injured in a shooting."

The deputies of the Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff's Office must be extra vigilant when traveling into the rugged desert south of Interstate 8, following the ambush shooting of deputy Louis Puroll and the shooting deaths of two armed gumen with ties to a Mexican drug cartel this spring. Sgt. Matt Thomas, motor supervisor and assistant SWAT commander, speaks exclusively with POLICE Magazine about patroling this hostile territory, detaining illegals and the ramifications of his state's tough new immigration law. PHOTOS: View our gallery, "How Cartels Smuggle Narcotics Into Southern Arizona."

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